City of Despair
by Toxinsomnia
Summary: A personal take on the classic killing game style... Death? Murder? Despair? All included. Don't you fret!
1. Chapter 1

I don't quite remember how we all got there, or, in fact, that they were my classmates. But the first memory I have of them was waking up in the central square with them. We had all been passed out on the cobblestone lined plaza - which was actually in the shape of a circle with a fountain in the center. How's that for irony? It was rather jarring, you know, waking up in an unfamiliar place surrounded by sixteen unfamiliar faces. The strangest part was that everyone else seemed just as confused as I was. I was the first to stand up, followed quickly by everyone else.

A girl with very curly, black hair pulled up into a ponytail and a neatly pressed white lab coat cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses. "Well," she huffed. "I don't know any of you, but who here knows why I woke up on the ground?" Her voice was cold, as if she were taking measures to keep everyone distant.

Nobody responded for a moment. A girl with long dark red hair and a dress that resembled an umbrella spoke up. "Hey, babe, listen. I dunno who you are either, but I'm just as confused as you are. Take a look around." She waved an arm in a sweeping gesture, indicating all of us at once. "I think it's safe to say that _none_ of us have any idea what the hell's going on. With the whole nerd look you got going on, I was sure you'd be smart enough to notice. Guess it's true what they say. You really can't judge a book by its cover."

The first girl looked extremely offended, but the second was too busy not caring to notice. "H-Hey! Who do you think you are? I'll have you know, I-" A boy with wavy golden-brown hair placed a hand on her shoulder, looking somewhat distressed.

"Hey, hey, now, let's not fight so quickly! It's no good to argue with people so quickly." The girl grumbled something in bitter agreement, and he smiled. It was a nice smile. "Good! It's always important to get off on the right foot." He turned to face everyone and bounced a little in place. "I think we should all introduce ourselves! I'll start! My name is Avery Hecht! I'm not sure how we got here, either, but before I woke up, I was going to be a student at Hope's Peak Academy! It's nice to meet you all!"

Everyone seemed to perk up. I blinked in surprise. "You, too? What's your talent?"

Avery's eyes lit up as he bounced over to me and took both my hands, leaning in just a bit too close for comfort. "I'm the SHSL Party Planner! You were going, too? We're probably going to be classmates, then! That's so cool! So how about you? Who are you, what's your talent?"  
I leaned back slightly and gently pried my hands out of his. "My name is Jocelyn Repetto. I'm the SHSL Swing Dancer. And like Avery, I was set to go to Hope's Peak. I fell asleep on the bus, I believe, and now I'm here."

Avery nodded in satisfaction, then pointed back to the first girl. "Okay! Jocey and I have gone, so it's your turn now!" I raised an eyebrow at the unsolicited nickname, but the girl was already speaking before I could open my mouth to protest.

"I see… I am Roxanne Demeulle. I was going to attend Hope's Peak as well." She adjusted her glasses and looked a bit proud. "I was accepted as the SHSL Geologist. Is it safe to assume that-"

"That everyone here was going to attend Hope's Peak? Yes, I believe that's a safe assessment." A boy with a narrow face and a rather weak-looking build smirked. Roxanne seemed beyond irritated at being interrupted. "Chester Shavell. SHSL Historian."

Avery nodded. "Roxy and Chestnut! Nice to meet you guys, too!" I was almost sure he was only interjecting to prevent another fight from breaking out. He pointed towards the person standing to Chester's left, a boy with spiky hair and a scarf. "How 'bout you next?"

The boy seemed a bit surprised to be selected. "Who, me? Sure!" He adjusted his coat and grinned. "The name's Caden. Caden Modica. SHSL Traveler. Got any questions about foreign countries? I'm your guy!"

The redhead from earlier stood to his left. "I guess I'll go next. Lucile Capozza. SHSL Meteorologist. Not that any of you give a damn about the weather…" She twisted her necklace between her fingers. I was just a bit too far away to tell what what the charm was.

A tall, lanky boy wearing a jacket over a T-shirt with some logo on it I didn't recognize was next. "Oh, hey. I'm, uh… I'm Logan. I'm just… like, SHSL Good luck or something. I'm nothing really special." He shrugged and stopped talking, a stupid looking grin taking over his face. Avery muttered to himself. I caught the nicknames he'd assigned to those who had just introduced themselves, and hoped that Lucile didn't end up murdering him later.

A girl with bobbed blonde hair and a white sunhat stood next to him, holding some kind of wooden staff-like implement. It was familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. Everyone looked to her expectantly. She stared back blankly. "And you are…?" Avery prompted. She blinked slowly, considering us before speaking in a soft voice.

"...Bo Boothe. SHSL Sheppard." As soon as she said the words, I recognized her staff as a crook. She gave us no more than that. After a few more empty moments of waiting - and receiving nothing - we moved on.

A tall girl with slick black hair and an expensive looking dress nodded and stepped forwards before dropping into a curtsey. "Good evening. My name is Jade Coutaux. I am referred to as the 'SHSL High Society'. Make of it what you will. It is a pleasure to make everyone's acquaintance." After her rather formal greeting, everyone seemed a little bit uncomfortable. She sighed. "You may be casual when associating with me. I am simply following training." Everyone visibly relaxed.

A boy with short reddish-brown hair and some kind of harness on crossed his arms as he regarded everyone. "Yo. I'm Cliff Marron, SHSL Rock Climber. Let's all get along, and all that…" Roxanne looked at him with a gleam of interest in her eye.

"Rock climber? We may have a few things in common," she said. It was the friendliest I'd heard her sound all night. Cliff nodded in response.  
"Yeah, maybe." He didn't seem particularly interested in talking to her. There was another moment of silence as we waited for the next girl to speak. She wore her hair up in an elaborate bun and wore very comfortable looking clothes. I somewhat envied her. She wasn't looking at anyone, but rather stared down at the stones under her feet. Avery cleared his throat.

"Infinity scarf, it's your turn," he said gently. The girl looked up in surprise, and flushed red.  
"O-Oh! I'm sorry." Her eyes drifted back down to the ground. "Um… I'm M-Millie. Millie Littler." We looked at her as she fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Do you have a talent, Millie?" Avery prompted, smiling encouragingly. "I bet it's something nice! Are you a baker? Or maybe a seamstress?"

She shook her head. "N-No… I'm… Um… An arachnologist." She turned redder.

Avery's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa! Like, spiders and stuff, right?"

"I-I mean, it's m-more than just spiders. There's scorpions, and huntsmen, too, and-" She cut herself off, looking even more embarrassed than before. "N-Never mind. Sorry. Um… You can g-go." She shuffled backwards, letting the next person take the spotlight.

A girl with pinkish-red hair swept up into a side ponytail clasped her hands together and smiled sweetly. "Hi, everyone! I'm Cheryl Trivellato, and I just love love love all things cute and sweet, so that's why I'm called the SHSL Romantic! I can't wait to meet each and every one of you!" She nodded as she finished, her smile remaining. The strange thing about her words was that they sounded completely earnest. She seemed like an interesting person to say the least.

As did the next girl. Her hair was a light lavender, and pulled up into two messy pigtails. Her dress looked like something out of a fantasy movie. "Oh! Oh! I'm next, right?" She grinned and did a little jump in place, causing the bells in her hair that I hadn't noticed before to jingle cheerfully. "I'm Vanessa! Vanessa von Doren! They call me… the SHSL Fairy Hunter! So let me know if you see any!" I highly doubted that I would, but I decided not to crush the poor girl's dreams.

The boy next to her closed his pocket watch and placed it back in his vest. "Just on schedule… Gerard Luster. SHSL Timekeeper. I'll keep it to that, simply for the sake of being short. On to the next person, then." He seemed to be a very practical boy.

The next boy had long, wavy, black hair that he kept in a low ponytail. He stood up straight, appearing taller than he already did, and smiled gently, his eyes going meltingly soft. "Thank you for your time, Gerard. I'll be sure to remember your name. And everyone else's, for that matter. My name is Russel Quist. I don't have a very special talent like the rest of you, but I'm so very glad to be in the company of such lovely people." For some reason, my heart stuttered. It was a blanket statement, yet I felt like his words were directed at me in particular. I felt my face heat up, and I looked away.

The next girl cleared her throat, her arms placed impatiently on her hips. Her black hair was cut very short, and she wore an aviator jacket and a red scarf. Somehow I had an idea of what her talent was. "Well, if you're all done, I'm going to go ahead!" She pulled a pair of goggles off the top of her head and onto her eyes, and gave everyone a thumbs up and a wink. "The name's Cassidy Crow, hot air balloon pilot extraordinaire! Pleased to meetcha!" Well, not quite, but I was close.

The last boy had messy blonde hair, partially hidden under a hat. "Guess I'm last, then. 'Ello, everyone. I'm Dennis Allard, an' they call me the SHSL Reptile expert. An' this lil fella…" He reached behind his shoulder and pulled out a chameleon. "Is Horace! I'd appreciate if ya didn't try ta spook him much." He replaced the lizard on his shoulder and nodded. "Well, tha's everybody. Whadda we do now?"

Everyone glanced around at each other, murmuring in confusion. "Well," began Chester. "We should most likely begin-" He was cut off by a high pitched laughter. "Who's laughing?" He demanded, leveling a glare at all of us. "And what could possibly be so funny?"

"I am! And I'm laughing at all of you!" The ground rumbled, and from the center of the fountain, something popped up. A small, round, black and white something. It stood up and brushed the dust off itself. "You're all so stupid, it's laughable! So confused, just walking around blathering on and on about boring stuff that nobody cares about! So boring! So I'm here to finally get this ball rolling!"

Millie looked up at it nervously. "U-Um… w-what are you?"

The thing turned to look at her. "Eh? What did you say? Speak up, would you?"

Her eyes widened and she seemed to shrink into her scarf, but she tried to project her voice a bit more. "I s-said… What a-are you?"

"There ya go! Gold star for you!" It jumped off the fountain and walked up to Millie before putting a golden star sticker on her sweater. He dashed back and scrambled up. "And to answer your question… I'm Monokuma! The handsomest bear in the entire universe! And I'm here to spice up your boring, uneventful, tedious, utterly-excruciatingly average lives!" He threw his arms up, posing dramatically. It was an amusing sight, for something that was no more than three feet tall.

Cassidy narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously and crossed her arms. "What are you going on about? My life's full of adventure and excitement!"

"No, no no!" He insisted. "It certainly is not! There's no danger! I'm not talking about some stupid kiddie ride in a balloon, I'm talking about something _way_ more exciting! I'm talking about…" His red eye gleamed. "Some good old fashioned murder!"

Roxanne's face turned stern. "Murder is not something to be excited about. Please do not joke about such things."

Monokuma turned on her. "Oh? Who said I was joking? I'm totally serious! You kids are going to murder each other!"

"And just why would we do anything of the sort?"

"Because you wanna go home, right?"

Cliff cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowing. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Think about it! You kiddos got no clue where we are, right? You're miles from home! And trapped here, just for good measure! Can't have you all running out like ants all over the place. So you're going to murder for the right to escape!"

"I'm not going to kill anyone! Why should we even believe you?" Cassidy shouted. I nodded in agreement. What reason did we have to think that a teddy bear held any kind of real threat to us?

"Eh! Kids these days… No respect for their elders," Monokuma sighed. "Whatever. I've got a special gift for everyone! Everyone check your pockets. I think you'll find something nice in there!"

I felt around in my skirt until my hand touched something hard. I pulled it out to find a tablet. I powered it on and found a profile. About me. Everything about me. Full name, age, height, weight, blood type, even my favorite food. I scrolled down through all the information. "What the… How did you get all this?" I muttered.

"I've got my connections, girlie. Don't think too hard about it." Monokuma waved a hand dismissively. Everyone seemed on edge, shooting nervous glances at their neighbors. Logan shook his head.

"Yo, dude, what the fuck? What is any of this? How do you know this?" He looked up at Monokuma, his eyes wide with… fear? I frowned and looked through my profile again. It didn't say anything particularly concerning. I did think it was a little creepy how they had all this, but I wasn't scared.

Monokuma laughed, completely ignoring Logan. "Now, children, please direct your attention to the new icon for a few little rules in our little killing game!"

I tapped a new icon that appeared on my tablet and read through the rules.

Students are only allowed to be in the city. Stepping off city grounds will lead to severe punishment!

Lights out from 10 PM to 7 AM. Some buildings may be closed at night, so be careful not to get stuck!

Violence against Monokuma is strictly prohibited, and will lead to severe punishment!

Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will gain exclusive rights to leave, unless they are discovered!

New rules may be added at any time for any reason!

I looked specifically at rule four. "What's this about a 'blackened'? And killing?"

"I already explained it! Did you not even listen? That's so rude! Utterly unforgivable!" Monokuma looked pissed. "But since I'm such a nice, sweet, and handsome bear, I'll explain again. You wanna go home? You kill! Any way you like, I'm not picky. Just preferably something interesting. Try to be a little creative here, kids!"

I shook my head, my lips pressing together in a tight line. "I still don't believe you. We're not going to kill anybody. What kind of creepy joke is this?"

"How many times have I gotta say it? This isn't a joke! I'm being serious! Gah! I'm so annoyed right now!" He turned his back on me and put a hand to his chin in thought, tapping his foot. "Hey, I got an idea! Just for funsies, I'll let someone quit right now. They don't have to participate at all! I know! We'll do a random lottery!"

Everyone, despite claiming that they didn't believe him, looked somewhat shifty. I had to admit, something about this whole thing felt… off. It all just felt wrong. A ticket out was something nobody would pass up. Monokuma pulled out a top hat and a magic wand. He tapped the rim three times. "Alright, magic hat of fate, who's the nerd who leaves before everyone else?" A scrap of paper flew out of the hat and floated back down into Monokuma's palm. He cleared his throat, took his time uncrumpling it and then announced, "Logan Pixton!"

Relief flashed over Logan's face as he stumbled forwards. "Oh thank God! I can go home! Dude, luck pulling through for the win!" He started to laugh in relief. "So, like, where do I-" He was cut off suddenly and sharply by a spear through the chest. I felt bile rise up in the back of my throat, my stomach twisting. His eyes widened and his laughter turned to a horrific sputtering cough. Screams erupted all around me as Logan slumped to the ground just beside the fountain. I couldn't tear my eyes away. The stones ran with scarlet. The air was filled with nothing but screams, a gurgling cough, and now Monokuma's overpowering cackle.

"What's wrong? Now he doesn't have to participate!" He howled with laughter. "Didn't take me seriously before? How about now?"

Nobody responded. We were all frozen. The world tilted around me.

"What the fuck…? What the _fuck_?" Lucile spat, her face twisted with disgust and horror.

Millie was just crying.

Russel looked ghostly pale.

Gerard mumbled something as he stared intently into his pocket watch.

"Well, kiddos, you guys are an awfully boring bunch, but I think we could change that! I've given you a few buildings to look around, so go for it! Run along and explore! I've got a bit of something nasty to take care of! Blegh!" He stuck out his tongue and looked at Logan. He wasn't fully dead yet. I could tell from his heaving chest. "I'll get back to you tomorrow with something even more fun!" He jumped down and began to drag Logan off, not caring that the spear scraped against the ground. The dying boy's eyes crinkled in pain. They disappeared into an official-looking building, leaving behind only a dull red trail.

I looked around numbly at everyone. Had that really just happened? Everyone looked just as shocked as I was. "W-Well…" Roxanne stuttered, quickly pushing up her glasses. "We need to get a handle on the situation." She tried to speak calmly and firmly, but I could hear a tremble of fear in her voice. "I believe the best option is to… do what the bear says. Let's have a look around." With one last glance behind her at the building, she turned and left down the only road that didn't have a road block in front of it. One by one, everyone else began to disperse as well. I was left, staring at the spot where Logan had fallen. This was no joke. This was no kind of joke I'd ever heard of before. Something deep inside me told me that this was only the beginning. That this wouldn't be the last of it. Not by a long shot.

I took a deep breath, clenched my fists, and walked off to where the others had gone, refusing to look behind me anymore. This was the beginning of our mutual killing game… and there was so much more to come.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

After everything that had just happened, I was really in no mood to be exploring, but it seemed I had no choice. If I wanted a chance at understanding what's going on, this was probably my only option. From the central square, there were a few roads snaking off, all but one of them blocked off by fluorescent orange construction blocks. Which were complete lies, because I could _see_ the buildings down the street were completed. Regardless, I decided not to try and jump one, considering what had happened to Logan. It was best not to make whatever that hell creature was mad.

The street was wide, and cobblestoned just like the plaza. Grass lined the road between buildings, with the occasional tree or bed of flowers sprinkled in. It felt just a little too cheerful for the situation, but I could appreciate the beauty. I found Vanessa face down in a patch of tulips. I jogged over, my stomach flipping in worry. Was she hurt? Or… dead, even? It hadn't been long at all, but I didn't trust anything at the moment. "Vanessa? Are you alright?" Her head popped up, and she shushed me, holding a finger to her face.

"Jocelyn," she hissed, her eyes wide with excitement, "Be quiet! They're going to get scared!"

"What are?"

"The fairies, silly! The fairies!" She turned back around and dug through the flower beds some more. Of course. She was talking about fairies. I didn't have much patience to humor her at the moment.

"But won't disturbing the flowers like that scare them worse than talking?" Vanessa shook her head, sending the bells in her hair off.

"No, no, no! They already know I'm here, I just have to be fast! If you're going to just stand there, you should help me!" I spent a little time digging through a flower bed looking for fairies with Vanessa. I felt awfully silly, but I think we grew a little closer. After a while, Vanessa sat back with a pout. "Aw, snickerdoodles, I think they're gone."

"Oh, I'm sorry." I had no idea how to respond to this. How was someone supposed to respond to someone who took fairies so seriously?

"Oh, it's not your fault, Jocelyn. I appreciate your help." She smiled at me and patted my hand. "But I think you could stand to improve your technique just a teeny tiny bit! I'll be sure to help you out later."

"Alright. Um, sounds… good?" Vanessa started picking a few flowers, humming to herself. "So, by the way. How did you get into fairy hunting? I'm pretty curious, to be honest."

Vanessa stopped and cocked her head. "Oh! That's a good question, Jocelyn. Let's see… I think it was when I was a real little girl! All those stories like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, those were my favorites! But I never really liked the princesses, you know? It was all the fairies' magic that made everything possible! And since then, I've never stopped looking."

"That sounds like you've never found one before."

Vanessa paused, looking a little sad for a moment before returning to her usual self. "Nope! I haven't actually seen one yet, but I know someday I will! I can't wait for that day!"

"And what are you going to do when you finally see one?"

"I'm going to study it, of course! There isn't a lot people know about fairies. If I could catch one, that would be a huge step for the community!" I shook my head. She seemed beyond help.

"Alright, I'm going to keep looking around. Er… Good luck, Vanessa." She nodded and turned back to the flowers, humming to herself. I picked myself up and headed off to explore somewhere else.

The next place I came to was a cute little bed & breakfast. The bottom floor had tables strewn about and a buffet table set out with food off to the side. It looked like we could access the kitchen through a wooden door that stood next to it. There was a small sitting area, with plush armchairs surrounding a cozy hearth. Upstairs were the rooms - each of which had a nameplate on them with our names on it. Boys on the left, girls on the right. I found my room between Vanessa's and Cheryl's. The room looked surprisingly comfortable, with a queen sized bed with a patchwork quilt. There was a wardrobe with fresh changes of clothes, a nightstand with a lamp, and a small table with two chairs. A bathroom connected to the main room, complete with toiletries and such amenities. At least if I had to spend my time here, I would be somewhat comfortable. As I left, I passed Logan's room, a fresh wave of fear twisting in my stomach.

Continuing my search, I found the next open building. It was a library, full of any book one could ever want or need. It was two entire stories, fiction on the first floor and nonfiction and periodicals on the second. Among the shelves were tables, presumably for study. There was also a more comfortable looking reading corner with beanbags and a couple couches. It was upstairs that I found Avery, looking excitedly from magazine to magazine. He didn't seem to notice me. I went over to look for something I might want to read. And he quite literally bumped into me. "Oh! Jocey!" Avery's enthusiastic smile grew, his eyes sparkling. "It's good to see you!" He took one of my hands - only one this time. His other hand was occupied by a magazine. "Do you want to come read with me? I found some good ones!"

There was no way I could say no to that face. I didn't even protest the nickname. It seemed to be growing on me quickly. "Sure. I haven't found anything yet, though."

"That's okay, we can read mine together!" Before I could protest, Avery dragged me back downstairs to the reading corner and flopped down in a beanbag, scooting over a bit so I had room, too. We spent some time reading a few magazines he had picked out, doing little personality quizzes and making fun of some of the articles. I think we grew a little closer!

"So, Avery, how did you get into party planning?"

He leaned back and thought for a moment, a content smile gracing his face. "It was birthday parties, at first. I'd always come up with really elaborate plans for my birthdays, and I always somehow managed to pull it off. People would tell my mom that she always did really well, and they didn't believe her when she said it was actually me."

I felt a pang of sympathy. "Wasn't that frustrating? Not being recognized for your work?"

"I mean, I was just a kid," he said with a shrug. "I don't really blame them for not believing her. But after a while, a bunch of the other kids asked me to help out with theirs, and it just went from there. Birthday parties, Halloween parties, barbecues, you name it!"

"Wasn't that a lot of work?"

"Well, yeah, but I didn't really mind. Everyone was always so happy, they always had so much fun. So I didn't mind. And I was usually invited, too." He grinned mischievously.

I smiled back. "I guess that would be a pretty good incentive."

He nodded. "I just like to make people happy. Seeing a smile is one of my favorite things. Thanks for smiling for me, Jocey. Aw, don't be embarrassed, I didn't mean to make you feel weird!"

I realized that I must have been blushing. "Oh, it's fine. I just didn't really expect you to say that." I stood up. "I'm going to get going. I've still got some places to look, I think."

He looked a little sad as he gave a wave. "Okay. I'll see you around, Jocey."

I headed off to the last building at the end of the street. I entered a gym to be greeted by an empty front desk. After passing through a changing room, I found the main floor. Aerobic machines, strength training, a small mirrored room with bars and mats rolled up in the corner, what looked like gymnastics equipment, and even a rock wall. It was there that I found Cliff. I wasn't surprised in the slightest. He surveyed it with an expert's eye before glancing over at me and nodding in greeting. "Jocelyn."

I approached, a bit surprised he had even talked to me. "Cliff." We stood in silence for a moment. I think we were both waiting for each other to make the first move. "So… what do you think?" I gestured at the climbing wall in front of us.

He hummed and stared at if for a while. "It's not much of a challenge for me. But it would be a good start for a beginner." He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "You want to give it a go?"

I looked up at the wall, then down at my skirt. "I'm not exactly in appropriate climbing clothes."

"You didn't answer my question. I asked if you were interested, not if you were wearing the right clothes."

"Oh. Uh, yeah, it would probably be pretty cool to try some climbing." Without another word, Cliff launched into an in depth description of how to put on a harness and other safety tips. We spent some time going over the very basics of rock climbing. I think we grew a little closer.

"Geeze… I'll try to remember all that. How did you start rock climbing, by the way?"

He messed with a clip on his harness. "Eh. Grew up around a lot of mountains. Got pretty antsy as a kid, went running around all over the place, getting myself hurt. Eventually my mom got me climbing lessons because she was scared I was going to get killed one of those days. All it really accomplished was getting me access to even more places."

"Oh. But you like climbing, right? Otherwise you wouldn't have stuck with it."

For the first time, I saw the corners of his mouth point up into a smile. Just slightly, but it was there. "Yeah. I like climbing. It's a good skill to have. I've gotten to the point where I don't _need_ to have safety ropes, so I can go almost anywhere, if there are footholds." He looked at me sternly. "But that's only because I'm very experienced. A beginner like you should always take every safety precaution they can."

"I know, I know. I'm not stupid enough to try something like that."

"Good." He went back into silence for a moment. "Later, Jocelyn." Without another word, he turned around and walked off. I looked up at the climbing wall, trying to imagine climbing all the way up. I didn't think I would be able to manage that for a while. I turned around and headed off as well.

It was starting to get dark, so I headed back to the inn. I had no idea how I was going to sleep that night, but I decided not to worry about it. It looked like some of the others had congregated by the hearth, which was now lit. I walked over to join them. Lucile and Roxanne were seated in a couple chairs, and Chester stood nearby. I took a seat on the floor near the fire, taking comfort in the warmth. They certainly didn't seem to be the most welcoming bunch, but they didn't seem to mind my presence.

"Honestly, what the fuck are we supposed to do?" Lucile protested. "This is so fucked up."

Roxanne sighed softly. "Yes. I agree. But I believe that we have nothing to fear. I fail to think of any good reason one of us would find to murder another. We are bound to find a way out eventually."

"Ah," Chester countered, looking smug. "But we saw what happened to our dear friend Logan. Who are we to think that the bear won't resort to such dirty tricks again? And if all else fails, there's the chance he gets bored and just kills us all."

Roxanne looked annoyed, but Lucile looked triumphant. "See? History nerd agrees. We're totally fucked. We're all gonna die just like lucky boy."

Roxanne cleared her throat. "If I may. We have very little information. It is much too early to be saying such things. I believe we should stay calm. We must be patient. We should not rush to conclusions like this."

"It is the most logical conclusion to jump to, Roxanne." Chester fixed her with a hard stare before turning to me. "And what do you, think, Jocelyn?"

I'd hardly thought they'd seen me, but suddenly all three pairs of eyes were fixed on me. "Oh, me?" I didn't want to have to pick a side. I didn't want to be involved in this. I stood up, brushing nonexistent dust off my skirt. "I agree somewhat with Roxanne," I decided. "I want to think the best of the situation." Victory flashed in Roxanne's eyes as she turned back to the others.

"Do you see? There are others who-" I didn't hear the rest of it. I fled from the argument while they were distracted. I returned to my room and sat down on the bed, finding myself suddenly exhausted. I laid back, and passed out almost immediately into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up to an announcement, in the shrieking voice of one Monokuma. "Good morning, everyone! It's 7 AM and time to get a move on! It's another beautiful day!" I groaned and flipped over. Sunlight bled through the window. I wasn't surprised to find that I felt absolutely exhausted. I'd seen someone _die_ yesterday. Something about that reality messed with my head. I got up - still in my clothes from yesterday - and stepped into the bathroom to take a shower before heading downstairs.

I found myself one of the first few down, along with Chester, Cheryl and Russel. I sat down at a table by myself after getting myself a small breakfast. Everyone else seemed wrapped up in their own business. Chester sat by himself with a cup of coffee and a book. Cheryl and Russel sat together, seemingly in the middle of some kind of passionate debate. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but they were talking rather loudly.

Cheryl waved her arm excitedly. "And then! And then! The guy just _leaves her there_! Can you believe it? I can't believe it!"

Russel chuckled. "That certainly doesn't sound very gentlemanly. What happened after that? I simply must know."

"So then the girl was just standing there _crying her eyes out_ , poor thing, but then! Then!" She bobbed in her seat. " _Then_! She chases after him! And she grabs onto the back of his coat! And he stops! And-"

I stopped listening. I think I knew exactly what they were talking about. I didn't take Russel for the type to be interested in cheesy romance stories. I didn't understand how they could have so much energy after yesterday. But it could just be their way of dealing with everything, and I wasn't one to judge. The others filed down shortly, and the room quickly became crowded. The air buzzed with quiet conversations. I finished my breakfast and had just stood up to go to the library when someone cleared their throat.

"Hello, kiddies! Get a good night's sleep? Getting a good breakfast? Maybe you all should hit the gym after you eat! Keep in top physical condition!" Monokuma stood on top of the mantel, his hands on his hips as he looked out over all of us.

Bo looked up blankly at him. "...Why are you here?" She asked softly.

"Why am I here? You kids! You never listen, do you? First Miss Swinger, now you, too? Geeze! Didn't I say I'd be back tomorrow with something fun for you all?"

"Well? Waddya want, then?" Dennis spoke up, his arm held out at an awkward angle as Horace climbed up it. "Out with it!"

"I'm getting there," Monokuma snapped. "Now settle down and shut up! I'm here to tell you why you're going to murder."

"N-Not this a-again," Millie whimpered.

Avery looked anxious. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," he reassured her.

"Yes this again! Yes something to worry about!" The bear cackled. "But don't worry! I'm starting you all off easy! Easy peasy! I think you all should check your student profiles right about… now!" As he said the word, I felt my tablet buzz, and heard everyone else's do the same. I slipped it out of my pocket and scrolled through my profile in confusion. I stopped. There was a new addition.

DARKEST SECRET: Jocelyn Repetto had a twin sister. Key word: HAD! She's dead, because Jocelyn gave her peanut butter when she knew her twin had a life-threatening nut allergy!

I felt my hands tighten around the screen. I hadn't thought about Janice in a long time. I looked up at Monokuma. "How do you know this?" I demanded.

He giggled and did a little twirl. "Like I said, girlie, I have my connections." Everyone else started to look scared or angry in varying degrees.

Vanessa clutched her tablet to her chest and let out a nervous giggle. "So what the hot fudge sundae are we supposed to do with this?"

"What are you supposed to do with it? Well, you're supposed to kill to protect it! That's your darkest secret, right there. Trust me! I know!" He fixed us all with a menacing stare. "So unless you want me to tell _everyone_ , you might want to get working on those plans! I'm feeling generous today, so I'll give you… hmm… let's say one week!" Monokuma pulled out a giant countdown clock and set it next to him on the mantel. "One week! Starting… now!" The display started to… count down. "Well, kiddos, I'll see you around! Happy death causing! And good luck!"

There was considerable uproar after Monokuma disappeared.

"Th-Th-This can't be h-happening," Millie stammered, looking awfully pale.

"Get a grip. There's no use denying it," Chester said, looking irritated. He shoved his tablet back into his pocket. He rounded on Roxanne. "What did I say? I told you he would resort to dirty tricks again."

Roxanne just pressed her lips together and shook her head. She didn't respond.

Lucile shook, with rage or fear I couldn't tell. "This isn't the time to be all 'told you so', jackass," she snapped. "Just shut the fuck up!" She stormed out, her hand still clamped around her tablet.

"And here I thought you had an ounce of sense," he shouted after her. He grumbled something to himself and stomped back upstairs.

Caden fidgeted with his scarf. "I'm… I'm going to go, too," he said before slipping out the door. Most of the others mumbled excuses before parting ways as well, leaving me, Cliff, and Avery alone with the clock. Avery went over to him, looking troubled and talked to him in a low voice. I decided to leave them be for the time being, and headed out as well to clear my head a bit.

I headed to the library, like I had planned earlier. Russel was looking at a shelf of books, up and down, peering at the titles carefully. I slid up next to him. "What are you looking for?"

He jumped a bit, his eyes going wide for a moment before he regained his composure. "Ah, Jocelyn. Hello. Please forgive me, I did not hear you enter." He shook his head and gave a quiet laugh. "I am simply looking for a book a dear friend of mine was so kind to recommend. It's called 'Ink and Lies', and it's by S. L. Jennings. Would you be so kind as to help me find it?"

Without stopping to think, I found myself nodding. "Yeah, sure. Jennings would be on this shelf, then, right?" We spent some time searching for his book. Somehow, I think we grew a little closer.

He collected the book with a satisfied nod. "Thank you ever so much for your help, Jocelyn, I appreciate it greatly." He looked me in the eyes and smiled

"It's no trouble." I glanced down and smoothed out my skirt. "Hey, Russel, you said you didn't have a talent. If that's true, then why do you think you're here? I don't think it quite adds up."

His smile faltered for a moment. "I can't say I know. My apologies. If we had some semblance of an idea why we were all here in the first place, I may be able to give you a more satisfying answer."

"Ah, yeah. I guess you wouldn't really know, either, would you?" I felt a little guilty. "It's alright. And if you don't mind my asking, who recommended the book?"

"Oh, yes, the book. Cheryl was of the belief that I would enjoy it. It's not as if I have much else to do, and I would enjoy being able to relate with her more. Speaking of which, I believe I shall go and read it now. I look forward to speaking to you again, Jocelyn. I take comfort in your company. Until next time." With a polite nod, he walked off towards one of the tables, leaving me somewhat flustered and a bit confused as to what had just happened. I spent a bit more time, browsing the shelves to see if anything caught my eye before heading off.

I found myself wandering back into the gym. After changing into a more appropriate workout outfit, I found Cassidy running on one of the treadmills. I hardly recognized her without her scarf and jacket, but it was her nonetheless. She stepped off to take a water break, then noticed me. She waved me over. "Yo, Jocelyn, how's it hanging? Whatcha up to?"

"Here to do some practicing, really. You're running?"

She nodded. "Yup! I've got a lot of energy to burn!" She grinned. "If you want, you can run with me. It's a good warm up, isn't it?" Cassidy and I spent some time running on the treadmills, her reaching over every now and then to up my speed good-naturedly. I was gasping for breath by the time we stopped, but Cassidy seemed less than fazed. She laughed as I gulped down some water.

"Geeze, you sure like to go fast," I gasped.

She continued to laugh as she shrugged. "What can I say? I really do. I've been getting real antsy around here, I'm glad they have somewhere for me to stretch my legs."

I stood up straight and let out a puff of air. "But wait, aren't you a hot air balloon pilot? Where's the athletics come in?"

"Oh, I always try to expend a bunch of excess energy before I go up, because sometimes flights last a really long time!" She pulled her goggles - that had been resting around her neck - up over her eyes and gave a wink and a thumbs up. "But of course, if I totally tire myself out, I won't have any energy to do anything else! You don't make that mistake more than once!"

"Ah, I see. Makes sense. So how did you get into hot air balloons? That's not exactly what you think of when you think of pilots."

"Oh, yeah, it was my mom! Her family had a hot air balloon business. Like, taking people up in balloons to watch the world go by, you know? It was great! She took me up all the time, and I was pretty much hooked from day one. It's the best feeling, you know? Just… letting the world drift by…" She sounded mellow, a distant, wistful look on her face. She shook her head, her expression being replaced by another grin. "Well, anyway, thanks for warming up with me. I won't keep you from your dancing. Good luck, Jocelyn!" She waved and jogged off. I stayed for only a little while longer, finding myself too tired out to do any dancing. I decided to go back to my room and rest up.

Or that was the plan. I didn't expect to find anyone in the dining area after the announcement earlier. However, as I glanced instinctively at the clock on the mantel, I found someone else watching it with interest. It was Gerard, staring up at it. Just watching it count down the seconds. I walked up next to him. We watched the clock tick down for a while. I think we grew a little closer?

"Uh, Gerard, what are you doing?"

He didn't look away as he responded. "My job, of course."

It was then that I noticed he had his pocketwatch in his hand. "Oh, I get it. You're the SHSL Timekeeper."

He noticed me looking at it and he shut it, putting it back in his pocket. "Yes. That I am."

"So… how did you get into that? It's kind of a strange talent."

"Because someone had to do it."

"I'm sorry, but can you go into a little more detail than that?"

He sighed in irritation. "I got tired of people being late for everything, and thought if I kept everything running smoothly, it would help. It didn't, really, but at least I've done something about it."

"So you had a problem with friends being late?"

"Not just friends. Relatives, classmates, everyone."

"Oh… I'm sorry about that, I guess."

"No need to apologize. Just try not to be late for any future meetings."

That was the friendliest thing I'd heard him say. I smiled. "Yeah, I'll be sure not to. I'll try to be early, if possible."

He nodded. "Yes, it's appreciated."

We watched the clock for a little while longer before he spoke again. "It's time to go to bed. Good night, Jocelyn." As soon as he said my name, an announcement sounded.

"It's 10 PM, and time to hit the hay! Sleep well, everyone! We've got another busy day planned tomorrow!"

Gerard walked off upstairs, and I followed as a few of the others straggled into the inn. I headed to my room and undressed for bed. I stared at my tablet on the nightstand and thought for a while before going to sleep. How did they know that? How could they possibly know that? That was so long ago… My family had kept it secret so well. So how did they know? It was impossible! I pulled the pillow over my head. I couldn't think about it, or I'd never get to sleep. With a sigh, I reached over and turned off the light. I had to wake up at seven again tomorrow. It was going to be another long day.


End file.
